Bomb threat closed U.S. Highway 50 for 5 hours

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STATELINE — A traffic stop closed Highway 50 through the casino corridor for five hours after the driver reportedly told deputies that a wire from the front seat to the trunk was a bomb.

Adam Smith, 29, of Minden was stopped at Highway 50 and Kahle Drive at 10:58 p.m. Saturday. As he was being taken into custody on suspicion of drunk driving, a deputy noticed the wire and asked what it was.

“It’s a bomb,” Smith is reported to have said.

The black Dodge SRT8 Smith was driving was cordoned off, and deputies called the Nevada Highway Patrol, the Tahoe Douglas Fire Department, the Tahoe Douglas Bomb Squad, FBI and the Nevada Department of Transportation to the scene. Highway 50 was closed and traffic had to be diverted around the scene for several hours while the bomb squad investigated the vehicle, according to Sgt. Pat Brooks.

Brooks said that at about 4 a.m., it was determined that this was a hoax and no explosives were in the vehicle.

Smith has been booked into the jail on charges of DUI and bomb threat with bail set at $26,500.